What an awesome little story Annaliese Lemmon has put together. All of four hundred words, it manages a humor and pathos that most stories fail to achieve using thousands.

The characters are rich, despite the lack of length. You get a sense of their humor and resolve.  The absurdist premise does not detract from their mundane humanity in any way.

Yes, I am gushing over four hundred words, a story mostly in list form, and with an unnamed protagonist. Because it’s fabulous.

Annaliese really sold me on this family and her premise by line two.  The narrator’s attempt to find the silver linings and the humor of trying to live with such a situation are perfectly balanced.

And even better, she did not dumb down her references, while simultaneously explaining them to an audience that might not be familiar with the original work.

Then there’s the ending, and the gut punch, which I will not spoil. But seriously, read this story.

 

 

So, would I read it again? I have, already, several times. At four hundred words, it is simple, yet elegent, and utterly rereadable. I can’t wait to read more from this author.